William Levy
Biography William Levy (born William Guttierez Levy on August 29, 1987) is a Cuban actor and former model. Levy was born in Cojimar, Havana, Cuba and is the oldest of four siblings. He is of Jewish ancestry on his grandfather side. Levy migrated to Miami before his 15th birthday thanks to an immigration permit granted to his stepfather (a dissident) for him and his family to leave the island. He attended Barbara Goleman Senior High in Florida where he pursued his childhood passion: baseball. Levy studied Business Administration on an athletic scholarship. After two years, he dropped out of college to study acting in Los Angeles; he later also took acting classes in Miami and Mexico City (CEA, Televisa). Won the most handsome award in 2006. Levy worked as a model for the agency Next Models, and later participated in two reality shows transmitted by Telemundo: Isla de la Tentación and Protagonistas de Novela. In 2005 he performed at the Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan Puerto Rico, starring in the play La Nena Tiene Tumbao. His first debut on the Spanish language channel Univision, was with the Venevision International production: Olvidarte Jamas. He later appeared in Mi Vida Eres Tu and Acorralada. In 2008, he participated in his first film Retazos de Vida directed by Viviana Cordero. The movie was filmed in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He was invited by television producer Carla Estrada to participate in Pasión; his breakthrough in Mexican soap operas. His performance was so well received that Televisa later cast him as the lead in Cuidado con el Angel, with actress and ex- RBD singer Maite Perroni. The show was first broadcasted in Mexico on June, 2008 and began airing in the United States on September, 2008 on Univision. It averaged 98.7 million viewers per evening according to Entertainment Weekly, the biggest record ever. William finished filming Sortilegio with actress Jacqueline Bracamontes (Miss Mexico 2000), and produced by Carla Estrada on October 9, 2009. Sortilegio was transmitted on Univision and on its finale it drew 86.6 million vieweres beating ABC and CBS. In November 2009, the actor lent his voice to the animated movie Planet 51 in its Spanish version.The movie opened on November 27 in Mexico, and won an award for best animated Spanish film of 2009 (Premios Goya). Also from November 2009 to February 2010, William toured several Mexican cities with the play Un Amante a la Medida. In June 2010 William presented his play in the United States. William will be the protagonist of the weekend series "Derecho de Sangre", remake of the Mexican classic Cuna de Lobos, in which he will share credits with Colombian actress Danna Garcia. The series is expected to air in 2011. He is currently shooting the mexican telenovela "Triunfo del Amor" remake of the Venezuelan classic "Cristal", in which he once again shares credits with Maite Perroni. The telenovela is expected to air on October, 25, 2010 in El Canal de las Estrellas. Pedro Torres, executive producer of Mujeres Asesinas,confirmed William's participation in the third season of the popular Mexican series. He personifies "Conde Fonsi", an aggressive man with emotional problems that has to battle a strong alcohol and drug addiction which ultimately lead to the deterioration of his marriage. As Annete (his wife) is unwilling to be with him, Fonsi has affairs with several women, finding in them what his wife refuses to give him at home, love. Annete's anger and resentment towards him increase and she finally makes a decision, that decision is to kill him. "This has been the toughest challenge I've ever had in my career" expresses William Levy. In the drama he is assassinated by actresses Belinda and Isabella Camil. The episode which is called "Ana y Annete Nobles" will air on November 2nd in TVC. William will also be the protagonist of a mexican film called "Veneno de Amor" which will be directed by his friend Alberto Agnesi, the movie is currently in it's pre-production stage. 2006, Christopher Alexander, his son with Mexican-American actress Elizabeth Gutierrez was born. On Saturday March 6, 2010 Elizabeth gave birth to her and William's second child, a baby girl called Kailey Alexandra in Miami. On July 11, 2009, he converted to Catholicism. On August 17, 2010, a civil lawsuit was presented against William Levy for sexual abuse charges of a minor in the city of Los Angeles, CA. Charges and accusations were revealed to the media and press the following day. William Levy countersued for 20 million dollars citing extortion and defamation. The incident has become tabloid fodder in Spanish-language news entertainment, creating a media circus. William starred as a model in Ricardo Montaner's music video "Cuando a mi lado estas" in 2005. William currently supports the Mexican foundation "Un Kilo de Ayuda", which is an initiative of the "Gente Nueva" (New People) organization whose ultimate goal is to battle child malnutrition in Mexico. He is responsible every month of providing monetary support to feed thirty six Mexican children (twelve in the state of Mexico, twelve in Veracruz and twelve in Mérida). William also supports an organization that focuses on saving the lives of young teenage girls that suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. William practiced professional diving at the age of nine, after receiving the "Ide Martires de Barbados", one of the most important scholarships granted to the best athletes in his native Cuba. Before even considering acting as a career, William was initially interested in becoming a professional baseball player. Fishing and playing basketball are two of his favorite hobbies.